Please allow me to introduce you to the loveliest, most versatile, and essential little lens I have in my camera bag at all times: the Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 50mm f/1.4G. There are two main features of this lens: it’s speed and its depth of field. With the f/1.4 aperture, you are creating a larger space
prime lenses
5 Best Sony Prime Lenses Under $1000
Sony has a solid choice of affordable prime lenses. In this buying guide, we look specifically at Sony prime lenses under $1000. Prime lenses might have a single focal distance, but this encourages photographers to move around and consider their positioning more. Prime lenses also offer improved quality for that single focal distance, in comparison
5 Best Sony Prime Lenses Under $500
When Sony first jumped into the mirrorless camera arms race, their initial lens offerings were rather expensive. This was not only to show off the best possible optics available but also to take advantage of all that extra resolution. Now there are more affordable and budget-conscious solutions on the market, which is why today we
5 Best Nikon Prime Lenses Under $1000
Since the invention of consumer-grade cameras, it has become increasingly common for beginner photographers to start off with a small collection of zoom lenses. While zoom lenses are both versatile and useful, as photographers move up the ladder of experience, many eventually choose to invest their money in prime lenses. Prime lenses are lenses that
4 Best Sony Prime Lenses Under $250
When you only have a certain budget to play with, it’s always best to stick to the tried and tested. In the affordable lens category, in this case, Sony prime lenses under $250, this usually means prime lenses and the standard focal lengths of either 35mm or 50mm or are least hovering around these points.
4 Best Nikon Prime Lenses Under $500
We tend to bang on about the following point all too often, but it remains true. If you’re working with a limited budget and need the most affordable option with the best quality, it’s always good practice to choose a prime lens. In today’s rundown, we will be checking out the best Nikon prime lenses
4 Best Sigma Prime Lenses Under $500
The usual course of events when eyeing up a prime lens is to check out the same-as-camera-brand offerings. This route makes sense for ultimate compatibility and peace of mind, but the third-party manufacturers like Sigma have really stepped up their game in recent years. Sigma offers lenses that are equal or better in optics and
Tamron SP 35mm f/1.8 Di VC USD: A Solid, Practical Prime
The Tamron SP 35mm f/1.8 Di VC USD is a 35mm third-party prime lens that features Tamron’s cutting-edge Vibration Compensation (VC) system, which has consistently been one of the best image stabilization systems since it was introduced. When you’re looking for a prime lens, you often need to choose between a fast aperture or some
5 Best Nikon Prime Lenses Under $250
It’s generally a good rule of practice that when dealing with a limited budget to always lean on the side of prime lenses. It may seem counter-intuitive to have only one focal length to play with, but it means all the optical qualities are not spread out over a focal range. Instead, they’re concentrated on
Nikon NIKKOR Z 50mm f/1.8 S: A Practically Perfect Prime
The Nikon NIKKOR Z 50mm f/1.8 S is a standard 50mm prime lens for Nikon’s Z-mount mirrorless. A 50mm lens is one of the great prime focal lengths because the ‘nifty fifty’ is a versatile portrait, landscape, and general-purpose lens. Nikon’s Z-mount mirrorless system is a benchmark because it is built to potentially increase image
4 Best Tamron Prime Lenses Under $1000
A prime lens is defined as a lens that has a fixed focal length. Where zoom lenses have a variable focal distance of 24-70mm, for example, a prime lens has one focal distance, such as 35mm. While this makes prime lenses less versatile, what they lack in versatility, they make up for in quality. Prime
5 Best Wide-Angle Prime Lenses for Nikon Under $300
There was a time when it was really pushing the boat out to find wide-angle prime lenses for Nikon under $300. Nowadays, even the most budget-friendly prime lenses have good optical qualities, as long as you don’t mind a little less on the build quality side and a lack of weather-proofing. In this budget range,
5 Best Sigma Prime Lenses Under $1000
Prime lenses have a fixed focal distance as opposed to the variable focal distance of zoom lenses. This makes them less flexible, but they usually have superior quality for that fixed focal distance. In this guide, we look at the best Sigma prime lenses under $1000. Having a few affordable prime lenses in your kit
Sigma 30mm f/1.4 DC DN Contemporary: A Premier Prime at a Smart Price
The Sigma 30mm f/1.4 DC DN Contemporary is part of Sigma’s Contemporary range which aims to offer compact and lightweight general-purpose lenses that are also high performance. This range produces consumer lenses rather than professional ones, and the affordable prices are reflected in that. This particular lens is made for Sony E-mount, Canon EF-M mount,
5 Best Third-Party Prime Lenses Under $500
The best third-party prime lenses under $500 can provide professional-level results in the right hands. When dealing with optics under the $500 bracket, it’s good practice to go all-in with a prime lens as opposed to the zoom variety. This is mainly because zoom lenses need lots more internal wizardry than a prime. Plus, a
Sigma 24mm f/1.4 DG HSM Art: A Brilliant Value Wide-Angle Prime
Today we’re going to take an in-depth look at the professional-grade Sigma 24mm f/1.4 DG HSM Art, and see if the performance matches its good looks. You could go with your camera brand and buy their 24mm lenses, or you could look at the usually cheaper but often just as good third-party lenses such as
6 Best Third-Party Prime Lenses
In the past, third-party prime lenses used to be the definite second option to the same make variety, but not anymore. This is especially true as the third-party manufacturers slowly started to produce versions for the latest mirrorless camera platforms, taking advantage of faster autofocusing and newfangled features such as lens control rings. At the
5 Best Nikon Medium Telephoto Lenses for Under $500
A medium telephoto lens has a heap of worthwhile uses, generally working within the 70-200mm zone. This focal range is great for anything from portraits to wildlife shots, allowing quite a bit of distance between yourself and a subject. For those out there who are on a strict budget and on the Nikon platform, there
5 Best Wide-Angle Prime Lenses for Nikon
A wide-angle lens is a vital piece of equipment for almost every photographer, but it’s more popular among architecture, landscape, and event photographers. Prime wide-angle lenses offer a short focal length with a wide field of view, which enables them to capture significant detail around or in the background of the subject, hence adding more
Rokinon 85mm f/1.4 AF: A Nice, Budget-Friendly Portrait Lens
The Rokinon 85mm f/1.4 AF is a full-frame lens made for a variety of camera mounts. It comes as an autofocus version, which is a welcome addition by Rokinon as previous versions were manual focus only. Rokinon has always been known for manual focus lenses, but it’s trying to establish itself as a reliable budget
Sigma 70mm f/2.8 DG MACRO Art: Sharp but Quirky
The Sigma 70mm f/2.8 DG MACRO Art lens is the first prime macro of Sigma’s Art range, built for optical quality which is an Art Series priority instead of autofocus speed or image stabilization. This lens comes in Sigma L-mount, Canon EF, and Sony E-mounts. Strangely, Sigma has left Nikon out of this party, at
5 Best Canon Prime Lenses Under $500
When it comes to choosing the best Canon prime lenses under $500, many turn to third-party offerings. A good move for most, but Canon realized long ago that this was an important price range for many photographers. This is why there are many good lenses in this category ranging from cost-effective zooms to prime lenses.
Rokinon SP 35mm f/1.2: Exceeding Expectations
It really does feel strange recommending a prime lens such as the Rokinon SP 35mm f/1.2 over other third-party versions or even same-make offerings. Traditionally, I’ve always thought of Rokinon stuff as budget-friendly alternatives, but those days have long since gone. This is basically the same scenario as what happened with Sigma and Tamron lenses
Laowa 105mm f/2 STF: Bokeh Brilliance at a Smart Price
The Laowa 105mm f/2 STF is a bit of a quirky one from a fairly new lens manufacturer, and it’s interesting enough to catch our attention. This lens is a fully manual Smooth Transition Focus (STF) lens, so it may take those used to autofocus a while to get to grips with the workings. It
Canon EF 200mm f/2L IS USM: The L-Series Legend with a Hefty Price Tag
The Canon EF 200mm f/2L IS USM lens replaces the discontinued Canon EF 200mm f/1.8L USM lens, but does it have what it takes to fill those legendary shoes? This is a professional lens, and it comes with a professional price tag, as well as a host of features and top-class optics. Though this is
FUJINON XF 23mm f/1.4 R: The Best General Prime Lens
It’s common practice for many people to opt for a 35mm lens, but as the FUJINON XF 23mm f/1.4 R is specifically designed for the APS-C X-mount mirrorless format, it provides the 35mm focal point nicely. A 35mm lens is a good alternative to the usual 50mm prime as it produces slightly wider angle shots,
5 Best Sony Prime Lenses Under $100
Usually, the merest mention of the Sony prime lenses under $100 will make most photographers waft away the subject like a medieval aristocrat. This is because high-quality lenses generally require lots of pennies in exchange for their optical superiority. Also, more specialist lenses abide by the usual laws of diminishing returns, but that doesn’t mean
FUJINON XF 200mm f/2 R LM OIS WR: The Ultimate Medium Telephoto Lens?
If you’re on the Fujifilm platform and a 200mm prime lens takes your fancy, then the FUJINON XF 200mm f/2 R LM OIS WR may be just up your alley. On X-mount mirrorless cameras the focal length comes in at an impressive 305mm, which can be further extended with the XF 1.4x TC WR teleconverter
4 Best Canon Prime Lenses Under $250
You may be surprised to know that you can purchase a range of Canon prime lenses under $250. People typically associate prime lenses as being overly expensive, and this is often the case. However, there is a great choice of affordable prime lenses for Canon cameras, both full-frame and mirrorless devices. Prime lenses are excellent
6 Best Canon Prime Lenses Under $1000
Prime lenses offer great quality and clarity. Traditionally, prime lenses offer better quality than zoom lenses. Zoom lenses are the “jack of all trades” lenses, whereas prime lenses are more specialist. The downside is that prime lenses do not offer the same flexibility. In this guide, we look at the best Canon prime lenses under